Library Ireland Week Staff Exchange Scheme: Diary of an Exchange

Six library staff from NUI Maynooth took part in the staff exchange scheme during Library Ireland Week 2012 (12–18 November) . Overall, they found the experience very positive. Bernie Gardiner from NUI Maynooth describes her exchange day

Step Challenges in the Library at NUI Maynooth

NUI Maynooth Teaching and Learning Showcase 2012/1

Library Ireland Week Staff Exchange Scheme: Diary of an Exchange

Six library staff from NUI Maynooth took part in the staff exchange scheme during Library Ireland Week 2012 (12–18 November) . Overall, they found the experience very positive. Bernie Gardiner from NUI Maynooth describes her exchange day

Motivating Library Staff in Recessionary Times Some Initiatives at NUI Maynooth

Academic and National Library Training Co-operative (ANLTC) 201

Using a blog to showcase the library The Maynooth University Library Quality Review

This article recounts Maynooth University (MU) Library’s experience of using a blog to showcase library activity as part of a library quality review. Such reviews, established under the 1997 Irish Universities Act, are now an integral part of the Irish Higher Education system. Maynooth University Library undertook quality reviews in 2004, 2010 and 2015. As part of the 2015 review, the two authors of this article produced a blog, which formed part of the submission to the peer reviewers

Motivating Library Staff in Recessionary Times Some Initiatives at NUI Maynooth

Academic and National Library Training Co-operative (ANLTC) 201

Bright Ideas

Personal and professional initiatives undertaken by Library staff at NUI Maynooth during recessionary times

The Library Ireland Week (LIW) job swop initiative Experiences from Maynooth University Library

Each year, as part of Library Ireland Week (LIW), Irish libraries are encouraged to engage in job swops. This initiative, championed by the Library Association of Ireland (LAI) (https://libraryassociation.ie/) is straightforward, with individual libraries organising swops and absorbing any costs involved. This article describes the experiences of six library assistants from Maynooth University (MU) (https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/library) Ireland, who participated in job swop

The impact of immediate breast reconstruction on the time to delivery of adjuvant therapy: the iBRA-2 study

Background: Immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) is routinely offered to improve quality-of-life for women requiring mastectomy, but there are concerns that more complex surgery may delay adjuvant oncological treatments and compromise long-term outcomes. High-quality evidence is lacking. The iBRA-2 study aimed to investigate the impact of IBR on time to adjuvant therapy. Methods: Consecutive women undergoing mastectomy ± IBR for breast cancer July–December, 2016 were included. Patient demographics, operative, oncological and complication data were collected. Time from last definitive cancer surgery to first adjuvant treatment for patients undergoing mastectomy ± IBR were compared and risk factors associated with delays explored. Results: A total of 2540 patients were recruited from 76 centres; 1008 (39.7%) underwent IBR (implant-only [n = 675, 26.6%]; pedicled flaps [n = 105,4.1%] and free-flaps [n = 228, 8.9%]). Complications requiring re-admission or re-operation were significantly more common in patients undergoing IBR than those receiving mastectomy. Adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy was required by 1235 (48.6%) patients. No clinically significant differences were seen in time to adjuvant therapy between patient groups but major complications irrespective of surgery received were significantly associated with treatment delays. Conclusions: IBR does not result in clinically significant delays to adjuvant therapy, but post-operative complications are associated with treatment delays. Strategies to minimise complications, including careful patient selection, are required to improve outcomes for patients

Opportunities Await

Poster presentation and accompanying brochure at the Library Association of Ireland (LAI) Academic & Special Libraries Section Annual Conference, 16-17 February, 2017, Dublin